


Lethobenthos

by MYuzuki



Series: paths we had not known we were meant to walk [1]
Category: Megaman X7 - Fandom, Rockman X | Mega Man X
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Axl has depth of character and I will die on this hill, Developing Friendships, Friendship, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Red POV, Red is proud of Axl, Red lives!, X and Zero ending up not talking as much in this one because I wanted to focus on Red and Axl, can't believe I forgot to add that tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-02
Updated: 2020-04-02
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:55:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23447386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MYuzuki/pseuds/MYuzuki
Summary: Right as Red is about to reach for his scythe and say something along the lines oflet’s get down to business(because he’s known from the start that this fight was inevitable, as much as he’d hated to think about it), Axl surprises him yet again.“Come with us,” he says, and it’s steady rather than pleading, another sign of how much he’s grown up in the last few months. “Help us fix this.”
Relationships: Axl & Red (Rockman), Axl & X (Rockman), Axl & Zero (Rockman)
Series: paths we had not known we were meant to walk [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1707670
Comments: 8
Kudos: 29





	Lethobenthos

**Author's Note:**

> My brain either really hates me or really loves me, because not long after I posted Fury on the Waves it dangled this shiny canon-divergence idea at me and I snatched at it like the ADHD writing magpie that I am. (If you want to know precisely what went through my brain, there is a post on my tumblr (yuzukimist) that accurately documents the occurrence in real-time, lol. Just look for the tag "me (at) me: why are you like this". ;P)
> 
> The downside? Still writing for a mostly dead fandom, which is the equivalent of shouting into the void and hoping someone at some point shouts back with validation, lol.
> 
> The upside? I get to write something delightfully self-indulgent while also chipping away at my Camp NaNoWriMo goal. XD
> 
> Also, full disclosure, I have NO IDEA where this story is going. Possibly it might be a one-shot. It's also possible it could morph into a multi-chapter affair or become a series of one-shots. We'll find out together, friends. ;D

**Lethobenthos**

Red has to admit that he's surprised by how much Axl seems to have changed in the short time he's been away.

It's not so much that the kid has grown up exactly, because Axl has always been more mature than he lets on, hiding a wickedly clever mind and an almost ruthless level of pragmatism behind a blinding smile and an outwardly easy-going demeanor.

But the Axl standing in front of him now, flanked by legendary Maverick Hunters X and Zero on either side of him…he's what Red had always hoped he'd become, strong and confident and (perhaps most importantly, especially when it comes to a Reploid who could shift his own appearance so easily) comfortable in his own skin.

It's something he always worried about, in the past. Because while Axl wasn't what one would ordinarily call a people-pleaser by nature, when Red had first coaxed him into officially joining Red Alert the younger Reploid had been seeking approval from those around him with an almost fierce sort of desperation. He'd never felt comfortable being completely himself, always shifting his behavior to suit the expectations of those around him.

(Red wonders if that's still something he does, or if he's finally found a place where he can let other people get glimpses of his real self without worrying about what they think.

He hopes so. He wants Axl to find happiness, even if Red won't get a chance to see the kid thrive himself.)

The root of the problem, Red has always suspected, is likely something to do with Axl's missing memories and how the kid had been struggling to figure out his own identity at the time, trying to work out who he was and what he believed in. Throw in the fact that his abilities allowed him to literally become whatever anyone else wanted and it was no wonder the kid had some lingering issues.

Looking at Axl now, standing across from him with his head held high and a determined glint in his eyes, Red can't find it in himself to be anything other proud.

_That's my boy_ , he thinks, and it aches deep in his chest even as it warms him.

Because Red has always cared about Axl, views him as being as close to a son as an old battle Reploid like him can have, but he can't help but wonder sometimes if he's failed him. If he let himself lose sight of what he was really fighting for, and if at some point he stopped really seeing Axl and only saw him for his value as an asset.

Wonders if Axl would have stayed if he'd done better as a leader, fought harder, not let Sigma get his claws into Red Alert and twist them into something wrong.

(It hurts a little, to think that maybe the best thing he's ever done for Axl was letting him walk away.)

"So," he says now, because they might as well not waste anymore time, "what took you so long?"

"Red," Axl says, dipping his head in a curt nod. "Long time no see. How've you been?"

Red snorts, because it's an innocent enough question but he can hear the sharp edge underneath the innocuous words; they match the way Axl and his new friends have torn through the Crimson Palace like property damage is going out of style. "I've been better," he admits wryly, because there's no use in pretending that this is how he wanted things to end.

(He regrets not telling 'the Professor' to take a hike the moment he'd appeared out of nowhere, making promises of power in exchange for DNA data. He regrets that his shortsightedness cost him not just Axl but all their other friends as well.

Even if by some miracle the other generals of Red Alert could be rebuilt, which is a long-shot in and of itself, he has a nagging suspicion that whatever modifications Sigma made to them aren't something that's easily reversed.)

"We've advanced, thanks to the Professor," he continues, bitterness and resignation warring within him and leaking into his voice, "but we've still been reduced to this." He risks a glance around, and his heart sinks a bit at how the grandeur of it is literally crumbling before his eyes, a physical representation of his dream for a better future disappearing into dust.

(He'd started out with good intentions, once upon a time. X had stepped down as a Maverick Hunter, leaving a shortage of warriors capable of dealing with the threat Mavericks posed to the civilian population. He'd thought to fill the gap with himself and his trusted comrades, and work towards making the world a safer place, one mission at a time.

Axl's sudden appearance in their lives had seemed like a sign that they were going in the right direction, his abilities allowing them to get through mission even more efficiently than before and with a reduced risk of harm since he could often sneak in disguised and eliminate a target before anyone else even know he was there.

And yet somewhere along the way, between then and now, he'd made a wrong turn and it had all fallen apart. All he's left with now is regret and the ashes of a once bright dream.)

"Where is this _Professor_ now?" Axl asks now, eyes narrowing as he regards Red, and it's clear from that expression alone that he's already started putting together the pieces of this particular puzzle. After all, Axl must have realized by now that things had started going wrong in Red Alert not long after Red had asked him to share the DNA data he'd collected for the first time. And Red hadn't known to ask for it before Sigma had put the idea into his head.

It's not hard to draw a line straight from Point A to Point B if you know what to look for, and Axl's always been more observant than most people give him credit for. Which means he must realize by now the real man behind the curtain when it comes to this disaster.

(Which isn't to say that Red's not at fault here. He knows he's just as much to blame for this mess as Sigma is, if not more. He could have said no when Sigma first approached him. Could have turned back before things got this far. But he'd let ambition get the best of him, and now he's paying the price.

His biggest regret is that Axl is having to pay that price, too, working hard to undo the damage that Red and the others caused using the DNA data he'd given them.)

"I have no idea where he is," Red admits. "Probably closer than we think," he adds with a bitter smirk because if there's one thing he's learned by now it's that Sigma lurks just out of sight until the opportune moment to strike, when he'll have the best advantage and the most to gain.

Axl seems to consider that for a moment even as Zero and X exchange faintly worried looks behind him. "Got it," he says at last, taking it for the warning that Red meant it as. "We'll be on our guard." Then, right as Red is about to reach for his scythe and say something along the lines of _let's get down to business_ (because he's known from the start that this fight was inevitable, as much as he'd hated to think about it), Axl surprises him yet again.

"Come with us," he says, and it's steady rather than pleading, another sign of how much he's grown up in the last few months. "Help us fix this."

Red's so startled by his protege's words that it takes him several precious seconds to formulate a response, even as he notices X and Zero exchanging another speaking look, this time one tinged with faint concern because clearly Axl is veering from their expectations. "Axl," he says at last, tone gentle, "I'm part of the problem. It's hard to fix something when you're part of what's broken."

"I was part of the problem, too, whether I knew it or not," Axl retorts, the determined slant of his expression not easing even when Zero comes up and rests a hand on his shoulder. "But now I'm trying to fix it. You can do that, too."

"Axl," X says, speaking up for the first time, "it's not that simple-"

"Why not?" Axl demands, turning to look at the leader of the Maverick Hunters with the same stubborn expression Red remembers from the first time Axl picked up a pistol for target practice and declared that he was going to be the best marksman ever or die trying. "Why can't he work off his debt to society the same way I am?"

"Because it _isn't_ the same," X insists, his tone somewhere between reasonable and frustrated, as if he's trying to be patient with Axl but struggling with it. "He's the leader of Red Alert, Axl, which means he's responsible for too many deaths-"

"I'm responsible for more," Axl says, interrupting X yet again. "What?" he asks, noticing Zero's faintly incredulous look. "My kill count is higher than Red's, ask anyone." His mouth twists into a grimace. "Well, I guess there's no one else left _to_ ask, but whatever." He waves a hand dismissively. "My point is, if you're judging strictly on who has the most blood on their hands, he's _way_ more worthy of a second chance than I am."

X adopts a long-suffering expression. "Axl-"

"And that's just counting _direct_ kills," the younger Reploid continues, doggedly plowing forward with his argument without pause. "If you think about how the DNA data that I harvested is responsible for this entire mess, then technically _all of this_ is my fault. Besides," he adds, "it's the right decision from a strategic viewpoint, too. Red can help us deal with this so-called Professor. Who is the real bad guy, by the way, in case you haven't figured that out already."

"Axl," Zero says, " _stop talking_."

Axl's only response is a mutinous glower.

Zero just looks at Axl for a moment, carefully assessing, then swivels his piercing gaze back over to Red. "You got anything you want to add here? Or are you just gonna let the kid plead for mercy on your behalf?"

"I neither want nor need your mercy," Red snaps, and ignores the huff of exasperation that Axl gives. "I'm the architect of my own tragedy and I know it. Now, you came here to take me down, so I suggest you get down to business."

"Red, I'm not going to kill you," Axl snaps, looking genuinely upset and not bothering to hide it behind a fake smile. "Not now, not after everything." He sucks in a deep breath, steely resolve strengthening with every passing moment. "Help us fix this," he says again, unwavering.

Red risks a look over at the veteran Maverick Hunters and is surprised to see their expressions drifting more towards resignation than aggravation, as if they've already accepted whatever outcome might result from Axl's actions despite the fact that this is clearly not how they expected this confrontation to go.

(Even as he's being forced to make a drastic life-altering decision because the kid's too stubborn to just let him go, Red can't help but be proud of Axl. Of how he's refusing to back down. And not simply because Axl is arguing to spare Red's life. No, Red doesn't give a damn about his own life at this point.

He's glad because Axl isn't so desperate to fit in with the Maverick Hunters that he's kowtowing to everything they say. Axl admires them, that's clear from how he'd chosen to team up with them in the first place as well as the way he looks at them now. But while he must want their approval (because what adolescent Reploid doesn't want the approval of their idols), he's not shifting his own actions to make it happen. He's not altering his behaviour to meet their expectations, he's simply…being himself, and letting the chips fall where they may.

Red's never been prouder of his kid.)

"You always were a stubborn one," he says now, shaking his head with a rueful laugh. "Alright, Axl, fine. We'll try it your way."

**Author's Note:**

> For anyone who's curious, the title of the story (lethobenthos) comes from The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows. It's a noun that means "the habit of forgetting how important someone is to you until you seem them again in person", which I felt was very appropriate for the initial Red and Axl dynamic in this story. In particular, where Red is ruminating all nostalgic-like about Axl when he sees him again for the first time since he defected from Red Alert.


End file.
